No. 7 Ohio State handed No. 3 Wisconsin its first loss, pulling away in the fourth quarter and fending off a late Badgers’ charge for a 27-21 win in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Ward (12) intercepts a pass intended for Wisconsin Badgers tight end Troy Fumagalli (81) in the first quarter in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Badgers’ first loss removes them from the College Football Playoff equation, and it pushes the Buckeyes back in. Ohio State and Alabama will be considerations for a final spot behind the likes of Clemson (ACC champ), Oklahoma (Big 12) and Georgia (SEC).

“We deserve a shot,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer told reporters after the game of his team’s Playoff likelihood.

Six days removed from knee surgery, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett showed championship guts in leading the Buckeyes to victory. He threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions.

“I feel like we’re one of the best teams in the country,” Barrett said on Fox after the win.

While most athletes need at least two or three weeks to recover from minor knee surgery, Barrett told doctors and coaches he would be OK.

“I didn’t have any pain in my knee,” he said.

And after watching Barrett in pregame warmups with a protective brace around the injured knee, Barrett got the starting nod and played like the three-time conference quarterback of the year.

“We expected to see the best and he was,” Badgers coach Paul Chryst said of Barrett. “He’s a heck of a quarterback.”

Running back J.K. Dobbins ran for 174 yards to carry the Buckeyes’ offense.

Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook finished with 229 yards passing, but couldn’t lead the Badgers to the end zone in the game’s final drive. His last attempt on fourth-and-20 was intercepted by Ohio State’s Damon Webb — which sealed the victory in the final minute.